Unionizing Medical Oddities?

Medical Marijuana is the kind of thing that elicits strong reactions from everybody who hears the words.

No matter where you are there are going to be people who hate and people who love it. Some people think you're going to Hades and some people think you're a Saint in the lineage of Peter. So, what's this talk about workers in a Medical Marijuana business unionizing and what does that have to do with you? Well, it's not just about who can join a union and whether you agree with medical marijuana--we can talk about that some other time. This is actually about protecting yourself once you find a job and making sure our feel as secure as possible at work.

Here's the story. Workers are 3 different Oakland area medical marijuana businesses have unionized. Basically, they're trying to come form under the shadow of medical marijuana, they want to bring legitimacy to the product and they need protection at a job that they love dearly.

So, does this mean you should start selling medical marijuana and join a union? No. It DOES mean that there is protection out there for everyone. So, you don't necessarily have to work at a hospital to have some kind of union protection.

Let's say you work as a Dental Hygienist but you work for more than one Dentist--who do you join with? What if you're an Audiologist and you're just out there on your own or you work with a much larger practice and sometimes you feel like you would be the "odd man out". That's a problem if you sat there and didn't find any protection.

Don't know where to turn? You found us didn't you? COOL! Now, go and Google or Bing Nurses union--or Doctor's union. Maybe orderlies union. What do you get?

Well, there's NSW for nurses. There's UAPD for Doctors and Dentists. There's the AAMA for Medical Assistants. They're out there!

Well, what if the place where you work doesn't have a union? START A CHAPTER!

Remember, if you work for a private entity--which is most hospitals and doctor's offices--then you can start your own chapter of a union and you should be ok. You may want to check the laws in your state and make sure there's nothing against it in your contract--but if you're free and clear then you should start your own chapter. This way you are not only helping yourself--but you're helping the people who work with you.

Perhaps you don't need to start a chapter and one already exists right down the street. Make sure you look around and make friend sin the medical community. Someone is bound to give you the heads up.

Also when you do this make sure you are perfectly straight with your employer. If you go all "unionizing" and you're rude about it then things will get hard. If you're smart then your employer will likely respect your decision and be willing to work with you--because you were cool about it.

I know it sounds like a daunting task--it's like I want you to stand up to your employer even if everything is all good. Remember, you're just finding protection for yourself and your co-workers because you want to make sure you are always treated fairly. Your boss may be cool now, but it may not be the same person in 2, 5, or even 10 years. You want to make sure you're in good position to keep your job and stay happy with it.